Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Odd Schedule Today

We are doing a practice writing prompt under real testing conditions. I have a group that is so very special that I only have four students and one of them is missing. Hope it goes well and I hope I didn't talk too much for them to process. After this we go on our two hour delay schedule where we will have each class for 35 minutes. No one gets left out. It is a good plan.Several Days Later.My kids were great, they really worked and wrote so much better than I had hoped. I think there is a good chance that when we get to the high stakes test they will do well, not perfectly, but well. Who wants perfect? This prompt was really to gather data for our school being part of title one, but it was set up in testing sites to have the kids be comfortable with that. And the teachers as well, My team, related arts, is not a team that normally tests so a few of us are not comfortable with it. I came from Elementary and science, so I am quite used to the testing scene and it doesn't bother me at all. Although I can never forget the time I administered a test to a second grader when I was a teacher's aide and I was not allowed to help, he and I both cried. Wonder where Jimmy is now?

This week there were some fund raisers for red cross and Fridays was gum day. We never allow gum and are really pretty harsh about it. Much to my surprise the kids were willing to donate a dollar for the privilege of not sneaking and for having entire packs in their mouths. They came prepared. It was a stinky day in schooltown. I heard one parent even brought in the gum her daughter forgot. That's the way to teach them responsibility. Hey, if they forget their gum, forget it. The drive home was slushy and the back deck was freezing in at least an inch of the nasty stuff, so before I got in the house, I had to clear the path and feed the dog. I knew I was not going to be willing to GO BACK OUT!